World War II: Behind Closed Doors

This a documentary film on the role of Joseph Stalin during World War II. The film combines narrative-led documentary segments, interwoven by dramatic re-enactments, with actors representing main political figures of the period.

The documentary carries information newly available to the public, from the Soviet archives, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

British historian Laurence Rees did the research compilation and lead writing for the series.

Joseph Stalin – the supreme leader of the Soviet Union – was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions. Yet he also had some unlikely relationships during the Second World War.

Not just with leaders of the great democracies like Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, but also with Hitler and the Nazis.

For the first time, this ambitious series from award-winning filmmaker Laurence Rees uses exclusive evidence gained from the actual conversations and secret meetings Stalin conducted with Roosevelt, Churchill and Hitler, to dramatically reveal the true natures of the three leaders and how the meetings they had – and the decisions they made – shaped the world today.